


The Ghost Of You (WWII AU)

by shrawa666



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: 1940s AU, F/M, M/M, MCR, Not a nice fic, WW2 AU, medic!Gerard, soldier!Frank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:54:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28718412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrawa666/pseuds/shrawa666
Summary: Senior Medic Gerard Way can't seem to get along with his new recruit, Frank Iero.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Kudos: 7





	The Ghost Of You (WWII AU)

**Author's Note:**

> HEY GUYS I LOVE YOU!!!! not my first fic but i am treating like it. i hate all the things i wrote a long time ago lol so here i am starting over! this fic has been racing around in my head for a while, and i finally wrote the first chapter! i do lack motivation sometimes but i am super excited for this. i love youu

Mikey slammed his glass down, sighing and wiping his mouth. “Jesus, Mikes,” Ray laughed, bringing his glass to his lips. Ray, as always, refused to drink actual liquor. He was currently nursing a coke, seemingly unbothered but his drunkenly comrades. As one of Ray’s intoxicated companions, Gerard groaned, not exactly grateful for the abrupt and loud noises. 

Bert giggled a little less manly than optimal, awkwardly lifting his beer off the table. He underestimated his strength, jerking the glass into his chin, causing cheap beer to spill onto his combat jacket. This only caused Bert to giggle even more child-like. Gerard, utterly dissatisfied with the situation; the cheap beer, the cheap company, and the lack of entertainment other than his intoxicated brother, raised his glass to his mouth, groaning as he swallowed. He loved Mikey, of course he did, but when it came to preference, he definitely preferred the sober version. He also was extremely thankful for the company. 

Ray Toro, his favorite junior medic, was always lending an ear. He understood Gerard, sympathized with him. He never asked any questions, only offered comfort. He was smart, too; he had the best strategy in his unit. Gerard always insisted that Ray should’ve been Senior Medic, not him. Ray would just smile. 

Private Bert McCracken, not in the medic unit, but still one of the Ways Brothers’ favorite friends. He always had a goofy grin on his face, always brought the humor out of humorless situations. He always had a fancy for cheap beer; anytime Gerard turned away, when he turned back, Bert would be hammered out of his mind. It was insane how lightweight he was, yet he seemed to enjoy it. One would think he would’ve built a tolerance by now, however, just like Bert himself, his body seemed stubborn. 

Lieutenant Mikey Way, Gerard’s brother, and best friend. It is safe to say that Gerard’s world wouldn’t exist without him. Even though Mikey was 4 years his junior, he still excelled past Gerard’s abilities. He seemed stern, cold, emotionless. A Mikey smile used to be common, now, with the shells and bullets, they’re almost extinct. He is capable of the most abundant love, yet that never stopped him from being feared amongst the men. It was rare, almost exclusive to Gerard, that Mikey let his soft side show. Toro knew it was there, but he never said anything during tender moments. After losing too many of his best men, a little over a month ago just outside of Paris, Mikey almost let a tear out. Almost. It was obvious to those around him, the ‘foreign’ emotion on Mikey’s face. Gerard pulled his little brother in a hug, Ray just nodded, offering his sympathy. Toro had been the one to count the bodies, but still in that moment, he insisted on being strong in order to comfort a hurting friend. Gerard could never imagine a world without either of them. They seemed essential to Gerard’s well-being.

And finally, Sergeant Gerard Way, Senior Medic. Always thinking too much, or how Bert put it, “so far up his own ass, he was reliving lunch”. He had a tendency to retreat into his shell at a moment’s notice. He wasn’t a coward at all; he would’ve traded his life for any of the men whose dog tags he carried around, city to city. He would rather undergo all the pain in the world than to never see Mikey smile again. Maybe that made him crazy, maybe that just made him suicidal, and a coward, too. He didn’t see it that way, neither did his companions. He hurt, that was for sure, but who didn’t? The only light at the end of the tunnel for him was the hope of being an artist one day. 

It was not common knowledge that Gerard was engaged, but it wasn’t hidden, either. There was one Lindsey Ballatio in Jersey that Gerard allowed himself to get familiar with. He even promised a wedding at the end of the war. Truth be told, he did think the war would never end. When he left, he thought the only way he would ever return to Jersey soil was wrapped in a flag. Anytime he expressed this to Mikey, he earned a frown. His brother knew of his struggles, hell, he had been the one to metaphorically talk him off the roof multiple times. He knew how broken, how miserable Gerard was. He never let his own misery show, he tried to be strong for his brother. This just angered Gerard.  
Gerard was the bigger brother, he was the one who needed to be strong for his little brother. Mikey never let him comfort him, it almost seemed like he was soothed by soothing his brother. Gerard was forever grateful for his brother’s strength, but he did think weakness was necessary, too. But maybe he was wrong, after all, Mikey is the lieutenant, all Gerard will ever be is the senior medic. Toro always praised Gerard for that feat, but Gerard never felt praise-worthy. He was never proud, to a fault. Lindsey happened to let him experience confidence for once. In the early days, in Junior Year, she sparked a fire inside of Gerard. Made him want to kill a thousand men for her. Now, having been the one to watch a thousand men die, he didn’t feel the same.   
Lindsey sent a few letters, maybe once a month. The letters Gerard sent were even fewer. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he just didn’t like her as much as she likes him. It wasn’t really her fault, except for her being a little extreme. At first, he liked the insanity. Now, it was tiresome. When Gerard signed up with Mikey, she tried to join, too. She thought a ponytail in her hat would fool everyone. It didn’t. The last time Gerard saw her was when she was being yelled at by a random soldier. He smiles at the memory. 

“What’s got you all goofy, babe?” Bert asks, elbowing Gerard, causing the glass in his hands to spill a bit. Gerard sighs, setting it down. 

“Just thinking about how pretty you are, sweetheart,” Gerard responds, causing his friend to laugh. He claps a hand on Bert’s shoulder, a slight chuckle escaping Gerard’s lips. To his right, Toro chuckles, bringing his coke to his lips. Sitting on Toro’s right, Mikey is busy ogling a particularly pretty brunette from across the room. Music is filling the room as couples dance in the dim light. The girl has a glass in her hands as she leans against the wall with her girlfriends. They’re laughing at something when she meets Mikey’s eyes. Bert and Gerard turn to see Mikey with a stupid drunken grin upon his face. He gracefully gulps the rest of his beer down, slamming it on the bar. Toro and McCracken cheer him as he stands up, swerving through the crowd.

Mikey reaches her and introduces himself. She blushes as he holds out his hand, saying something that Gerard can’t hear. She smiles, taking his hand excitedly. Toro whistles as they near the dance floor. Mikey grabs her waist, she giggles, and they dance along to some Sinatra. Gerard can’t help but smile. Mikey really is a dog. Every time they get the chance to visit a bar, Mikey sneaks away with a pretty girl. Gerard finds it ridiculous. He’s accepted the fact that it is probably just because of Mikey’s lieutenant badge. Girls don’t tend to find medics that attractive; they love the idea of a brave soldier rescuing them from all of their troubles.

Gerard tells himself the reason he doesn’t care is because of Lindsey. All of the men surrounding him would kill to get laid, hell, they have. But Gerard isn’t like that. He couldn’t care less whether a girl looks at him twice or not. It’s because of Lindsey, he thinks. He must really like her to not give a damn about other girls. However, he didn’t care since before he met Lindsey. He’s never really been interested in girls, maybe he just likes being alone. He likes his friends quite a bit, but he doesn’t really enjoy female company. He doesn’t tend to think about it, but with his younger brother dancing away with a pretty dame, it’s hard to ignore. A sudden pit of dread filled Gerard’s stomach. He’s not weird, just different, was what Mikey told him. He never expressed this to Ray, but Ray seemed to know something was a little off. He never pushed Gerard to talk about it which made him eternally grateful. Some things Gerard just didn’t understand about himself. 

Watching his younger brother twist and twirl his girl, Gerard felt pride and happiness, along with his dread and depression. Happy moments seemed to make him sad lately. He wished he could just focus on the positive. In war, there’s not much positivity, and even the little scraps he gets, he ruins. He groans, sick of his wallowing. Gerard spins his chair around, facing the bar once more. He picks up his glass of self pity, taking a swig. Toro, smiling wide, notices Gerard’s disgruntled expression. He quickly frowns, setting his coke down. He clasps Gerard’s shoulder, offering a smile of pity. Gerard smiles back, sighing before returning his gaze to his glass.

After a few more moments of competing in a staring contest with his beer, Gerard senses someone sitting down on his left. Gerard turns, seeing Bert is long gone. Gerard concludes he’s probably throwing up or trying to impress a girl that happens to be way out of his league. In his place sits Captain Trohman. Gerard instantly stiffens, fixing his posture. Joe chuckles, patting him on the back.

“No need to get all official, Sergeant. It’s your day off, relax a little,” Trohman says, raising his fingers up, ordering a beer from the bartender. Joe takes in the scene, Toro laughing with his coke, Mikey dancing with a girl, Gerard slouching over his beer. It seemed pathetic, Gerard decided. Trohman didn’t say anything, just looked Gerard over once more. The bartender slid his beer down which Joe caught. He raises it to his lips, groaning as he gulps it down. Gerard watches, holding his practically empty glass to his lips.

“Captain Stump has more than enough men,” he says after a moment. Gerard perks up, looking at him with questioning eyes. Joe finally looks at him, raising an eyebrow. He sets his beer down, ready to elaborate. 

“He’s got 4 junior medics, 7 privates he’s willing to send,” Trohman states, watching as Gerard’s face lights up.

“Seriously?” Gerard asks in disbelief. It’s been months since any medical recruitments came in. At the moment, the medic unit consisted of Gerard, Toro, and two knuckle-heads, Gabe Saporta and Ryan Ross. That was all they had for months. They used to have more, but when D-Day hit, they were taken by other units. Every unit was scavenging for men, medics, soldiers, and strategists. It seemed like every day Trohman’s troops decreased. Whether by being reassigned or getting hit by stray shrapnel. It was getting hopeless. With the amount of illnesses and shells that swept into the trenches, Gerard and Toro were surprised anyone was still alive. 

“Don’t get too excited. Two of ‘em aren’t even trained,” Trohman adds, spinning his chair around to take in the view. Gerard gawks, Joe simply sips at his beer.

“I have to train them? They drafties? Or soldiers-turned-doctors?” Gerard asks, gulping the last of his beer. He looks to his right and sees Toro talking excitedly to Ross, who seemed to just walk in. Ray hadn’t heard this at all, Gerard would have to brief him in the morning. Trohman looks at Gerard looking at Toro.

“That’s all they had. They are sending one of their best medics though, some kid named Wertz, I think. Don’t give me that face, you’ll be fine. Be grateful you’re getting any,” Joe says, slamming his empty glass down on the bar. He signals for another beer, then eyes Gerard’s empty glass, and holds two fingers up. 

“Aw, you don’t have to pay for me, Joey,” Gerard teases as the bartender slides both their glasses towards them. Joe chuckles.

“I’m not. You’re paying for mine,” Trohman states with a straight face. As he lifts his glass, to toast, he smiles. Gerard rolls his eyes, lifting his glass to Joes. They clink, and both men gulp their drinks.

“They’re being shipped tonight, actually,” Joe states, almost already done with his beer. Gerard slowly sips his, looking up at his superior. 

“Where’re they from?” 

“Normandy,” Joe states, solemnly. Gerard’s smile falls, sympathy and sadness splayed suddenly across his features. Trohman frowns.

“When’ll they be here?” Gerard asks instead of pursuing the question. Very few soldiers returned from Normandy, and even the ones that did had scars; both physical and mental. 

“In the morning, I think 0830,” Trohman answers. He notices the look on Gerard’s face and frowns again.

“Only two of ‘em were actually there. One of ‘em’s a medic, other’s a private,” Joe elaborates. He sets his now empty glass down. He groans as he turns to face Gerard once more. 

“It’ll be fine, soldier,” he adds, as he stands up. The bartender places the bill down on the wooden bar, and Joe raises an eyebrow at Gerard. Gerard groans, slamming some of his last wages down. He stands up with Trohman, tapping Toro on the shoulder. Toro looks at him, smiling. Ross wraps up their dialect, and nods at Gerard. Gerard does an awkward little nod back, not looking him in the eye. Toro notices the awkwardness on Gerard’s half, but doesn’t mention it. He simply raises a skeptical eyebrow. 

“Remember to be back at 2400, boys,” Trohman says, in his ‘captain’ voice. Ross and Mikey, who suddenly reappeared, groan. Trohman laughs, straightens his coat, and takes his leave. Gerard turns towards his brother, deciding to ignore Ross.

“How’d it go, Mr. Lady’s Man,” Gerard teases, bumping shoulders with his brother. Mikey throws his head back and laughs. Lately it seems he only laughs when with a girl, or completely intoxicated. Right now, he is both. It warms Gerard’s heart to see him laugh, and yet, he still feels hopeless. He fakes his smile, laughing with his brother.

“Didn’t have enough time to do what I needed to do,” Mikey jokes, causing Gerard to groan and Toro to whistle. Ross laughs with him, and Gerard feels his cheeks heat up. Toro is eyeing him, causing Gerard to turn his gaze to the tile floor. Mikey finishes laughing just as his girl sneaks past them towards the door. Mikey gives her a nod and a wink, and she blushes as she giggles with her friends. Gerard rolls his eyes.

“Anyone got a light?” Gerard asks, his lighter long gone in a ditch somewhere north of Paris. Ross nods, digging in his pockets. All eyes are on Gerard as once again, his cheeks decide to flare. He tries to hide his embarrassment, and forces an awkward smile as Ross holds out his light. Their fingers brush as the light passes from their hands and Gerard can feel heat rising in his body. He nods as his thanks, realizing he’s making a bigger deal than he should. Ross doesn’t seem to notice, Toro and Mikey do, yet they don’t say anything. 

They all make their way out of the bar as Gerard lights his cigarette. He practically groans the second the tobacco meets his lungs. This causes Mikey and Ray to chuckle. They all pull their own cigarettes out, suddenly getting a craving for the same tobacco that currently wafts through the air. As they march down the dark streets of Paris, joking and laughing, all of Gerard’s anxieties seem to diminish, even for just a moment. He’s tired; physically, and of the war. He wants this same atmosphere to last, without the constant fear looming over their heads. Looking to his left, he watches as his brother and Toro link arms, singing the same song that Mikey danced to earlier that night. They seem genuinely happy, simply in each other’s company. Gerard smiles, exhaling smoke.


End file.
